WHO WINS 2013 FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP?

Protests have marred the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup but hosts Brazil and Spain are set to engage each other in a potentially explosive final encounter, reports ’TANA AIYEJINA

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup final is set, with hosts Brazil set to face Spain for the title at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.

For Brazil, the final will offer the opportunity for a fourth Confederations Cup title, which could serve as a springboard to further success at next summer’s World Cup, also to be held in Brazil.

Spain have never won the Confederations Cup (this is their second appearance in the tournament), but they have won everything else lately. World Cup winners in 2010 and European champions in 2008 and 2012, Spain are currently unrivaled as the best international side in the world.

With such historic success of late, they also rank as one of the best international teams of all time. Will they add another title to their haul this Sunday, or will Brazil claim another Confederations crown?

Road to final

As hosts, Brazil were drawn into Group A with Japan, Mexico and Italy. Brazil won all three group matches to win Group A with nine points.

Brazil beat Japan 3-0 in the opener, followed by a 2-0 victory over Mexico. They closed out the group stage with a 4-2 win over group runners-up Italy.

On Wednesday, Brazil defeated Uruguay 2-1 in the semifinals, with Paulinho heading in the late winner.

Neymar and Fred have scored three goals apiece to lead Brazil, while Jo and Paulinho have scored twice each.

Spain won Group B with a 100 per cent record against Uruguay (2-1), Tahiti (10-0) and Nigeria (3-0).

Spain then outlasted Italy in the semifinals, winning a penalty shootout 7-6 after the match had finished scoreless following 90 minutes of regular time and 30 more of extra time. Jesus Navas converted the decisive penalty.

Fernando Torres scored four goals in the rout of Tahiti and has recorded five in the tournament so far. David Villa scored a hat-trick in the match. David Silva and Jordi Alba have scored two goals each at the tournament.

Tactics

Spain

Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque’s team relies on a patient passing game to break down opponents. Spain regularly dominate possession in their 4-3-3 formation and win the ball back quickly upon losing it.

At Euro 2012 Del Bosque experimented with a lineup that featured no true strikers. At this tournament, however, he has regularly used a striker. Roberto Soldado started the opener against Uruguay and the group finale against Nigeria, while Torres started against Tahiti and Italy.

Another tactical development to watch out for involves Spain’s midfield. Injury ruled midfielder Xabi Alonso out of the tournament, meaning Del Bosque had to shuffle his formation.

Italy managed to disrupt Spain’s rhythm in the semifinals, however, and Brazil could take a cue from the Azzurri’s strategy.

Brazil

Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the tournament, with Fred at the top of the formation and budding superstar Neymar on the left side of the attacking midfield.

In the semifinals, Uruguay stunted Brazil’s attack with high pressing, forcing mistakes and negative passes. But Uruguay’s admirable defending was undone in the first half by a long ball and a bit of skill from Neymar, who set up Fred for the opener. In the second half, Neymar’s corner led to Paulinho’s headed winner.

Against Del Bosque and Spain’s patient passing game in the final, Brazil likely will need another strong tactical performance from Scolari.

Tactics: Expert opinion

Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, says tactics is not the only area to watch out for in the final on Sunday.

He said, “In a match of this nature, tactics is not the only thing to look out for; you need to look at the fitness of the players as well. If your players are unfit, how do you execute your tactics?

“So you need to look at the composure of the players, which you will mix with intellectual and psychological fitness. The Spanish play with a lot of confidence and good composure and they have a way of making their opponents play to their pattern.

“But the Brazilians are tactically and technically fit as well. I think the two sides will be perfectly matched.”

Folorunsho Okenla, a former Nigeria international, believes both sides will add an aggressive touch to their otherwise passing game.

“We are definitely going to see free-flowing and fluid football. Both sides are not aggressive but since it is the final of such a big tournament, they will come out with some sort of aggression,” Okenla said.

Neymar influence

The youngster is undoubtedly the star of the tournament. He scored three goals in the group stage and has a hand in almost all Brazil’s goals.

Fans are anxiously waiting to see how the new Barcelona signing will fare against Spain’s tightly knit defence.

But close followers feel Neymar may not be the deciding factor in the final on Sunday.

“No doubt, he (Neymar) is Brazil’s arrowhead. He has been very influential in the tournament and Spain know this. They will try to cage him and make sure he doesn’t embark on those dangerous dribbling runs,” Thompson Oliha, a 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner, said.

Also, Onigbinde, who coached the Eagles to the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations final, says building a squad around a particular player could be detrimental.

“Neymar is a good player but football is a team game. It’s normal practice with FIFA and other confederations to select best players but it is destroying football.

“The player that touches the ball less may be the player that has contributed most to the success of the team. I have never built my team around any so-called outstanding player,” Onigbinde, who coached Nigeria to the 2002 World Cup said.

Prediction

Spain faced a tough test in the semifinal against Italy—and passed narrowly. Perhaps that shouldn’t have been surprising. Even considering Spain’s 4-0 victory over Italy in last summer’s Euro 2012 final, the Azzurri had the advantage of intimate knowledge of Spain’s tactics and strategy, having played the world champions so often in the recent past.

Brazil won’t have that advantage. The ultimate goal, of course, is winning the World Cup next summer, but the fans and players alike will be passionate about taking the Confederations Cup title on home soil as well.

An upset is possible, of course. Italy proved Thursday that Spain are not invincible But Spain do have plenty of experience in major tournament finals, and Brazil are still dealing with issues in the squad, particularly in central midfield.

“It will be challenging to predict who wins the final match but we will get the best of football and entertainment. It’s going to be a great final that will prepare us for what to see at the 2014 World Cup,” Okenla said.

Home-field advantage will play its role, but in the end, Spain should have enough talent and experience to win.

Protests

Protests continue to mar the Confederations Cup right from day one of the competition. Police clashed with more than 5,000 protestors before Spain’s semifinal win over Italy in Fortaleza on Thursday and once again responded with tear gas.

Nearly 90 people were arrested for rioting outside the stadium and several demonstrators and police officers were injured.

The World Cup warm-up competition has been overshadowed by public demonstrations over the last fortnight as ordinary millions of Brazilians have taken to the streets across 80 towns and cities to express their disgust at the misuse of public funds, including the hosting the global football showpiece and the 2018 Olympic Games.

Police and the BOPE – Brazilian special forces – have retaliated with the use of tear gas and rubber bullets, a response condemned by international onlookers.

But the public unrest has not moved FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has insisted that the Brazilian public should not use the competition to give visibility to their protest.

Blatter told Brazilian newspaper O Globo, “I can understand that people are not happy, but they should not use football to make their demands heard. Brazil asked to host the World Cup. We didn’t force it on them.”

Onigbinde argues that the protests did not have any negative effect on the tournament.

“The tournament was highly successful. The protests were outside football; that is what FIFA will tell you. In the laws of the game, you don’t find a single word referring to spectators. That is why matches can be played behind closed doors. We have seen great games in this edition despite the protests,” Onigbinde said.

Lessons for Nigeria

The Super Eagles crashed out in the first round after losing to Uruguay and Spain. Having beaten whipping boys Tahiti 6-1, the Nigerians crumbled to their South American and European counterparts 2-1 and 3-0 respectively.

Criticisms greeted the performance of coach Stephen Keshi’s team, which once again had most of the experienced players excluded from the squad.

“We’ve learnt our lessons. Now we know that we must keep a stable team. Players should be allowed to fight for places in the team irrespective of where they play. That is what Brazil do. David Luiz was once left out of their squad but today, he is an integral member of the team,” Oliha said.

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